General Chat / XIII Game Review for PC

++++++NOTE FOR UK ONLY++++++

XIII for PC (or GCN, XBOX, or PS2)

XIII starts off over whether you, XIII (you currently do not know who you are at the start of the game, and i won't spoil it for you), killed President Sheridan, the Presidant of the USA. The game leads through all the landscapes imaginable, the Grand Canyon, the Snowy Hills, and Prisons, to reach your final goal...

Graphics

As you may have noticed if you have looked at some shots from XIII, the game is in a cartoon fashion, called cel-shading. Some believe that this could deter violence somewhat, however, this is far from the truth. In fact, the cel-shading, for me, anyway, enhances the graphical capabilities of this game, and adds little things. For example, water appears on sights of the crossbow or sniper rifle when it rains, or people fall off buildings when shot, and you can see this when a comic strip appears at the top of the screen. There even becomes a comic cut scene when you get a direct hit in the nose. The graphics are the main attraction of this game, and are not to be underestimated. It is really very hard to improve on the graphics of this game. 10/10

Sounds

Again, attention to detail is obvious concerning sound effects. For example, if a grenade is fired at you by a bazooka, the sound becomes low, as it wold in real life, drowning the sounds away from your ears. The gunshots are also very realistic, but the silencer sounds recall Goldeneye: pretty appalling.
The voice acting is surprisingly good in this game. What we'd expect would be a load of sonic style idiots who cannot act to save their lives. However, in XIII you can really get a grasp of the characters through their voices. Perhaps a little more involvement of the main character, XIII, would be nice.
As far as the music goes, it's quite hard to fault. The soundtrack is pleasant to listen to, and again, in some places, recalls Goldeneye, which is a good thing. However, there are some moments in the game when there are no sounds whatsoever. Some say this creates tension, as the sounds come back as soon as the enemy is in view. Make your own mind up. 8.5/10

Lifespan

As soon as you start up the multiplayer mode, it is evident that it is flawed in several places, and is a few divisions below that of Goldeneye. However, this is remedied by the unforgettable levels of single player levels, which are bound to keep you occupied for about a month. They also offer huge replay value, and in a few years, you are certainly going to feel the deepest of nostalgia about this game, something that today's games are lacking. 8/10

Basics

This is where XIII falls somewhat, but also rises greatly, adding features no other games have ever had.
We'll deal with the flaws first. For a start, there is no automatic reload, which makes hand to hand more tricky, if more realistic. It is hard to recover if you are holding a gun with a slow reload time, such as the sniper rigle, when you are shooting someone with a Bazooka: you are bound to die, which makes gun combat sometimes annoying in XIII. Secondly, the checkpoints are quite far apart. They will not provide a problem for people who are accomplished gamers, but for the less good, they will prove very tricky. And thirdly, XIII can be unfair at times. An occasion that recalls this is when you are fighting someone who has throwing knives, and you have an Assault Rifle. And who wins? Here's a clue: not the Assault Rifle.
Having said that, generally, the basics are done very well in XIII. You can carry and hide dead bodies to avoid detection, you can take hostages, and you can smack people over the head with virtually everything (from a broom to a bottle). These cakes of innovation are truely priceless, and the basic actions are done very well. The basics are done well, with a few tiny flaws, in XIII. 8.5/10

Final Verdict

XIII is a fusion of Hitman 2 and Goldeneye 007. If FPS's are what you are into, look past the comic styling of the game, and rush out to buy this gem. It is certainly worth your £30. 93%

Where to buy?

The best bargain for thsi game i've picked up is from WH Smith (for £24.99), which is greatly cheaper than popular gaming stores, such as GAME. And of course, you might find something on Ebay. And go for the PC version as well, the PC is the best console for FPS's.

Readers...

If you disagree or would like to reinforce anything i have mentioned, please do comment. Also, say if you have found anywhere to buy this game for cheaper.